But no sooner than he’s begun, he lifts his head and releases me.
I blink at him, confused. “What –”
“You need to get dressed. You have somewhere to be,” Sin answers, still kneeling between my legs.
Right – Arianna.
I flush, remembering she’s waiting for me.
Sin watches my expression change, and he winks at me. “I’ll see you later, kitten,” he says before apparating out of the room.
It sounds like a promise.
Chapter 25
Rule twenty-five:Be a badass bitch. Especially if it means stealing candy.
There are many times in recent memory when I’ve realized I’m totally fucked. Most recently, it was two minutes ago, after Sin disappeared from my room. It was one thing to secretly lust after Sin when he hated me. And even when he started to be nicer to me, his sexually charged comments were just that – comments. That was safe. But something between us just shifted. Sin is not pulling punches about what he wants to do to me.
And where does that leave me?
Completely fucked.
Metaphorically, of course, even though I have no idea how I’m going to find the mental fortitude to say no. Because I really do need to stay away from him. There are a multitude of reasons for not gettingintimate. Most obviously, because fucking an all-powerful Destroyer while being bonded to another all-powerful Destroyer sounds like the deadliest love triangle of all time.
I cringe at the thought of being in a love-anything with Leon. The idea of him ever touching me again makes me want to gag.
Now Sin, on the other hand… I stop myself from going down that rabbit trail and shove all recent memories of his mouth on me, deep inside a fresh new box in my head.
Nope, we’re not going there.
I find Arianna sitting on the stone wall overlooking the garden. She’s hugging her knees to her chest, and her gaze still holds the haunted expression. She’s in different clothes now, dressed in familiar black fighting leathers. Throwing knives and daggers are strapped to her, matching the ones I use.
Well, I guess I know where my fighting clothes came from. I must have been borrowing hers.
She doesn’t look up when I pull myself onto the wall to sit beside her.
“Hi, Ari,” I say softly, not wanting to startle her.
“You’re not actually Cassandra, are you?” she asks, her voice flat as she stares into the garden.
I sigh, “Not fully. My name is Vivian. I just got all my memories back from Cassandra. I was her in a past life.”
Arianna turns to me, frowning. “You look just like her. It’s eery. So how does it work? Are there two of you in there now, controlling your body?”
I laugh. “I was actually really freaked out about that happening, but no. It’s still just me. Sometimes, though, I can hear Cassandra yelling at me to do things. Usually, when I’m fighting. I have no idea how to fight someone. It’s almost like her memories of training others are bleeding through my subconscious, and she helps take the reins.”
Arianna laughs. “That sounds like Cassandra. Yelling at someone to fight better.” She hesitates, looking lost for a second. “So how does this leave us? You’re not Cassandra, but you have her memories. I – I’ve just missed her. For a really long time.”
I pause, trying to think of how to articulate my thoughts. I can’t fully explain the connection I feel for this girl – or, I suppose, woman, now. Sin thought I’d still be me after I regained Cassandra’s memories, given that my own consciousness was tied to my body. For the most part, he was right. But there are parts of Cassandra’s life that are felt so strongly, so profoundly, that I can’t stop feeling them, too. It’s almost like falling in love with a character from the pages of a book, only stronger, because not only do I see Cassandra’s memories, but I alsofeelthem.
“You know how you haven’t seen Cassandra in forever but have so many memories about her? Even though she might have been changed by thousands of years apart, you still love her, right?” I start.
Arianna nods. “Of course.”
I shrug. “That’s how I feel about you, Ari. Even though my life experiences have been apart from you, the bond is there. I remember our lives together.You’re still a sister to me. That came with the memories.”
Arianna leans into me, and it feels almost familiar.
